Are you in that point of your life where all your friends are getting married or moving in with each other?

Or worse, talking babies?

Does your newsfeed feel like a minefield of ‘engagement announcements?’

Are you sick of being tagged in ‘candid’ wedding photos

Is all your beer money going into a fund called ‘yet another pink sangeet outfit?’

If you’re checking yes to all these questions, you and I need to TALK.

Let’s start with the most pressing question – Is everyone getting married?

I mean it started as a small trickle and then before I knew it, I was caught in a downpour of bachelorettes (and a stag party, mind you), monogrammed dinner napkins and orchid arrangements. And while I am genuinely happy for everyone who’s on this trip, like seriously happy, its poses big questions to my life.

Like who’s going to stay with me till the end of Ladies Night. And will I be expected to frequent furniture sales? Who’s couch will I now be crashing on – his or hers? These are things that keep me up at night.

Let’s (wo)man up to some facts. Your family meal conversations are largely around your lack of savings and marital aspirations. Your youngest cousins have started getting engaged like a falling pack of dominos and your once massive circle of the carefree & unattached is disappearing like an open box of Ferrero Rochers.  You’re getting just a little bit curious to know what the hype is all about. Just enough to write about it, but certainly not do anything about it (BTW, Mom I know you’re reading)

Which brings me to the Ice cream conundrum of June 2016. It was the moment I realized I had not two, not three, but SIX weddings to attend this year. These are not ordinary weddings. Not the kind you have to show face at – Like a friend’s sibling or something that your mother drags you to or an ex colleague who invited you cause he admires your chicken dance skills. No, these are close friends, seriously close. The kind that make you reach out to ice-cream, in a panic.

Lets talk about ice-cream.

There isn’t enough in the world to quell this slowly rising panic, but there is still hope for you, my friend. You don’t need to rush to the store just yet. And since you’re already hitting the bar at home, am going to give you just the solution you’ve been waiting for– ice cream + booze.

Now that, is a match made in heaven!

Here’s how this romantic story unfolds. Herb meets Gin. They date briefly, but realize they lack zing. Enter Lime Zest. The three are inseparable, having found the world’s most compatible and exciting relationship. Now they’re planning a better, more exciting version of Vicky Christina Barcelona. Roll Credits.

Bonus : They didn’t even have to go through a damn churning machine.

This ice-cream is the answer to all your life questions.

So it doesn’t matter if you’re in a committed relationship with Pepperoni, or if you can’t commit to lunch.

And it doesn’t matter if you’re still unsettled on what to binge watch next (Game of Thrones S6 is over!) or what colour gravy boat to get your best friend & whatsitsface. This ice-cream will be the soothing balm your single (and let’s face it) far more happening life will ever need.

Gin & Herb Ice Cream

Ingredients

• Heavy Cream – 1 cup
• Condensed Milk – 100 g
• Mint Leaves – A handful
• Kaafir Lime Leaves – Half the quantity of the mint
• Zest of 1 lime
• Gin – 1/2 cup. I used Bombay Sapphire

Method

• Gently heat the heavy cream with half of the herbs. Be careful, don’t let it come to a boil. Steep for an hour.
• Strain out the leaves from the cream and let it chill while you prep the rest.
• Mix together the condensed milk & the gin. Give it a good whisk.
• Whip up the cream till it forms medium peaks.
• Fold the whipped cream into the gin base and then add most of the lime zest.
• Pour out the mixture into a freezing tin and top with the remaining herbs and zest.
• Freeze overnight and enjoy it with the next wedding invite you get. Remind yourself, ice-cream is the real bae.

 

All Images by Ishita Thakur